Ayanmo — Destiny, the Unalterable and the Negotiable

Ayanmọ́ (literally 'that which is affixed to one') is the Yoruba concept of destiny, encompassing both àyànmọ́ kò-ṣ'ẹ́-yí-padà (the unalterable portion) and the negotiable dimensions that can be adjusted through ẹbọ, ìwà pẹ̀lẹ́, and proper alignment with one's tutelary Orisha. As documented in the Wikipedia entry on Ori (Yoruba), the soul's pre-birth covenant in àjàlé ọ̀run establishes the broad pattern, but the entire apparatus of Ifá divination exists precisely to negotiate the details within that pattern. The Ifá oral corpus teaches that ayanmọ́ is neither rigid sentence nor blank page but an ongoing ìfọ̀rọ̀wérọ̀ (conversation) between the individual, the Orishas, the ancestors, and the unfolding circumstances of ayé (the visible world).